


feral feeling, swaying sound

by loveavillain (copper28)



Category: Killing Eve (TV 2018)
Genre: Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/F, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, eve keeps birds, konstantin is tired, lots of animal talk because I wanted to, there's beef, villanelle keeps reptiles, zoo au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 04:15:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26346973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/copper28/pseuds/loveavillain
Summary: Combining my love of zoos and my love of Villaneve.In which Eve is head of the Aviary, and Villanelle is head of Reptiles. There's something odd happening around the zoo, departments disappearing and animals being removed. Eve is determined to stop it from happening to the Aviary, but Villanelle is very distracting. She's also definitely involved - Eve just has to prove it.
Relationships: Eve Polastri/Villanelle | Oksana Astankova
Comments: 44
Kudos: 92





	1. tear out all your tenderness

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, this is a ridiculously specific AU because I like zoos and reptiles and I also like villaneve. I do have a rough plan laid out, but I can't commit to a regular posting schedule just as a pre warning for anyone who wants to follow the story! Chapters will also be different lengths, tho I think this will be the shortest one honestly. It's very self indulgent and focuses more on the animals and the gay romance than a real plot tbh. Hope you enjoy regardless!

Eve had been at work barely five minutes before Elena appeared, trying her hardest not to jump straight on Eve but clearly having something to say.

Sure, she was a little late, and she was absolutely taking fruit out of the feeding fridge for her own breakfast, but no-one was perfect. 

“Bill is going to have your head, the meeting is today.” Elena said, grabbing hold of Eve’s arm and dragging her back towards the door.

Shit. Eve had totally forgotten about the meeting with the board of directors, the zoo funding for the next financial year coming under scrutiny. 

They all knew what it meant, the higher ups that kept the place running would only offer one grant per year to improve an area of the zoo, and the only area that got the grant seemed to be the bloody reptile house. Which wasn’t even a house now, it had been expanded so much that the building was almost three times the size of anything else the zoo had to offer. The other parts of the zoo always managed to scrape by, but on occasion there would be an exhibit or whole section that would be quietly wiped from existence. Either the animals were relocated, or sold, and the keepers disappeared without so much of a goodbye. If the donations weren’t up to scratch, or something got a few too many negative reviews well, it would come under fire.

Eve was desperate to bag that grant. Her department, the Aviary, had been getting by with the odd bodged repair and lick of paint but it needed a renovation. The Reptile House did not. There had been rumours of a new hire on the horizon, Konstantin was soon stepping down to start a new position bridging the gap between Helené and Carolyn. Helené had very little regard for the welfare of the animals, far too focused on the numbers, where Carolyn held fast to a strong desire to create the best enclosures. It caused plenty of arguments, to which Eve fortunately was rarely witness to. She always got the rundown from Bill, but today her presence had also been requested. 

Elena pulled her back through the zoo, taking as many staff only shortcuts as she could to get them back into the main entrance building and up the stairs to the office area. The boardroom of course had the door closed when they reached the top of the stairs, panting for breath. 

“Why do we work on the other end of this bloody place?” Eve complained, gladly taking the apple offered to her.

Elena laughed, starting her decent again. “Think how I feel, I’ve got to get all the way back now. I swear if I get caught by any school trip kids asking questions you will be able to hear me scream.”

Eve laughed, and then headed for the door. 

“Tell me all the juicy gossip when you’re back!” Elena shouted on her departure, bounding back down the stairs and off to work.

Eve chuckled to herself, confident in the fact the Aviary would be in good hands while she was busy. She was the most senior keeper, with Elena and Kenny as her support. The three of them made a good team, even when they had to deal with Carolyn reassigning Kenny to a few of her own pet projects. Eve hadn’t been impressed when he had returned to them after designing the latest reptile enclosure. 

Shaking her head, Eve took a deep breath, prepared for a few snide comments about being late.

She opened the door, and was met with a gaggle of voices all chatting amicably. They quieted the moment she stepped in, and Eve shot an apologetic look at Bill as she took her place next to him.

“Nice of you to join us.” Frank said with a sneer. 

He was thankfully more in Helené’s domain, the accounts manager she only ever emailed to complain she had been underpaid. 

“Sorry.” Eve said, trying to decide when was the best moment to start eating the apple she had stolen. 

Frank sighed, and then Carolyn took control of the room. 

“Right well, now we’re all here and the small talk has been dealt with we can get on with the matters at hand.” She barely took a breath, shuffling a few papers she had prepared and settling on the first point. “We hope you are all aware that by the end of the financial year in a few months time there will be a new grant awarded to the most successful department.”

Helené speaks up then, tapping her pen against the table. “Of course, under much deliberation, we will need to remove any areas not hitting their donation targets. There’s going to be a few moves.”

Eve raises her eyebrow at Bill, but he doesn’t return the look.

“Yes, quite.” Carolyn says, clearly annoyed at the interruption. “As you know, Konstantin will be stepping down from his position as the Head Keeper, instead working as the zoo advisor, making sure all decisions benefit both our financial situation and attributing considerably to conservation and the welfare of animals.”

Konstantin smiles at her, and he plays down the applause the others gave him “Thank you, I’ve left the zoo in good hands.”

Carolyn returns the look in under a millisecond before announcing who would be replacing him.

“Not only do we have a new Head Keeper, but Konstantin has also secured us a new head of the award winning reptile house, Villanelle.” Carolyn informs them all.

Eve raises an eyebrow, glancing at Bill. “What kind of a name is that?” She whispers to him, but he still doesn’t really respond to her. 

Her attention drifts back to Carolyn as she speaks, and then it all makes sense why he was ignoring her.

“Replacing Konstantin as Head Keeper will be Bill, and Eve will be stepping up to take over the Aviary.”

-x-x-x-x-x-x

“What the fuck Bill.” Eve growled, kicking one of the kong toys that had been left on the floor of the storage room in the Aviary backhouse. 

Bill at least looks apologetic. “Look, I didn’t really have a say in this either.” 

“Bullshit! That is bullshit Bill. Fuck! You know we’re screwed now right?” Eve snarls at him, running her hands through her hair and letting it grow more and more wild the more she does it. 

Bill sighed, about to argue when Elena and Kenny came bursting in. 

“What’s this I hear about Eve getting promoted!” Elena practically screams, bouncing around excitedly. 

Eve shakes her head. “This isn’t good Elena! The only thing that kept us off the blacklist was Bill’s connections to Carolyn. Now Helené is going to be gunning for the Aviary to be next on the demolition list.”

“Come on, Eve.” Bill tries, but Eve wasn’t having it. 

“No! Not even any warning Bill, you just…” Eve huffs a humourless laugh. “I can’t believe this.”

It wasn’t like she wasn’t grateful for the promotion, of course she was. She loved her job here, and moving up would get her a pay rise that could pay for a few upgrades in her life but this promotion came with so many risks she wasn’t ready for. 

Bill had known Carolyn for years, and her close friendship with him was one of the only things that kept the aviary going and Eve was sure of it. The bird section of the zoo made a decent chunk of money, but Eve knew for a fact it had fallen into Helené’s danger zone more than once. The only reason they hadn’t been targeted for ‘restructures’ or just wiped off the zoo map was because of Caroyln. That alliance wouldn’t be stretched to her. 

Eve wasn’t exactly Helené’s favourite person anyway, not after the Christmas party in 2014. 

“I need a minute. Fuck, Kenny can you sort out the condor and the harpy eagles?” Eve snapped at him, skirting round Bill who was still trying to fight his corner. 

She stormed off, slipping back out of the space behind the indoor enclosure. The Aviary wasn’t large, in comparison to some of the other sections of the zoo, but if you knew it well enough you could still disappear. 

Eve bypassed her favourite birds, the blue macaws were stunning but right now she didn’t want to be stood in front of an enclosure, she needed to be hidden. 

She made a beeline for the back section of the building, which was home to a walk-in enclosure for the rainbow lorikeets and various species of butterfly. It had a few hiding spots if you knew where to look and were wearing the zoo uniform. Eve knew exactly where to slip away, straight through the walkway, hop over the rope, down the staff only track, take a left past the big fern plant, and there was a small pond with a waterfall, an artificial fallen log making the perfect bench. 

It was where she always came when she was upset, about work or life in general (a divorce under her belt meant she’d used this space more than she would admit). 

The space was peaceful, a tranquil bubble where no-one thought to look. The sounds of the birds, the water flowing, the scent of the earth and the flowers, Eve loved it. 

She inhaled as she came round the corner, closing her eyes as she walked the familiar path into the small clearing. It helped, calming her down as she started to pull her hair up into a ponytail, getting herself ready to start talking herself into going back to work. Especially since this was now her department. 

It was going to consume her every waking moment. Eve knew Helené was relentless, and her cases were watertight when it came out an enclosure or department had disappeared. Eve had looked into them, and on paper it seemed totally logical that they get liquidated but it happened so often and there was something-

“You should wear it down.” A voice sounded in front of her, where there should not be a voice.

Eve’s eyes snapped open, her hands freezing midway through taming her hair. 

Standing in front of her was a woman, blonde and staring right at her with a smile on her face that didn’t quite match the look in her eye. She had a faint British accent that didn’t suit her, dressed in combat boots and black skinny jeans that were pretty much painted on her legs. She had her hands shoved into the pockets of her luminous blue jacket, and when she smiled wider it felt like when Eve had seen the black jaguar kill an unfortunate rabbit in her enclosure. 

“Uh, who are you? This is a staff only zone.” Eve said, her hands slowly coming away from her hair. 

The woman shrugged, and Eve was struck by just how attractive she was. “I know.”

She didn’t offer more of an explanation, just studied Eve like she had all the time in the world. Eve could feel her staring, a surprising wave of heat following the trail of her gaze up her body. 

“Are you okay? You seem upset.” The woman asked, totally ignoring the fact she wasn’t allowed in this area.

Her self assurance was contagious apparently, because Eve didn’t feel the need to bring it up again. 

Eve shrugged, running a hand through tangled curls. She was professional enough to not complain about the place that employed her to visitors, but she wanted a conversation with the woman. “I’m fine. Just… got some news I wasn’t expecting.”

The woman frowned, taking a step closer. Eve’s not sure why her heart wanted to leap out of her chest but she held her ground, not backing away. “Hm. Bad news?”

Eve shook her head. “Not exactly. Just means I’ll have a lot more on my plate. And need eyes in the back of my head.”

She hummed, and then she was well within Eve’s personal space. 

It took some serious self control not to react to the taller woman, fight or flight Eve wasn’t sure which way she wanted to go. She was even more gorgeous up close, and whatever perfume she had on was to die for. She commanded attention, and Eve was more than willing to give it to her despite the alarm humming through her body.

“Well,” The woman said, her voice sounding odd. Eve realised her accent had changed, and as a frown was appearing on her face the woman leaned in even closer, with a hungry look in her eyes. “If I were you, I’d keep a better look on what’s in front of me.”

She grinned then, a smile full of teeth, and without another word she left, disappearing back towards where the general public were fawning over the bright birds free flying around the enclosure. 

Eve let out the breath she had been holding, wondering what the fuck had just happened.


	2. world class piece of art

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eve meets Villanelle properly, and she's instantly both aroused and suspicious.

Returning to the back room of the aviary a while after leaving, Eve hoped to slip in with no-one there and deal with this bullshit later, but she was out of luck. As soon as she opened the door she had three pairs of eyes on her, and she sighed. Loudly. 

“Alright, I’m sorry for disappearing.” Eve says, forgoing any kind of greeting. 

Elena pipes up first. “So you should be, I had to do the talk for the toucan and you know how much that bastard hates me.”

Eve chuckled, and then her attention turned to Bill. 

“I am sorry.” He says the moment she looks at him. “There really wasn’t anything I could do, and you’ll be fine running this department.”

Eve scoffs at that. “Sure, I believe you. But you know Helené will be up our asses until the end of the financial reviews. I know you’ve fended her off of us more times than you’ve mentioned.”

Bill has the decency to look a little guilty. “She has tried a few times for a few… downsizing operations.”

“Mhm that’s how she always starts. Next thing you know there’s two feature birds left and we’ve all been fed to the lions.” Elena says. 

Kenny nods in agreement. But then, he always did agree with Elena. 

“Just feels awfully convenient Bill, you can’t deny it.” Eve says, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow. 

Bill sighed. “I know, I know. But we have no proof, I’ve told you before. You know you can’t fight her, she’d got her fingers in too many pies and without her funds this place would crash and burn anyway. I love Carolyn but she only sees the bigger picture, not the money trouble the zoo could get into.”

“Not exactly a negative thing.” Kenny said. 

“It would be when the debt collectors come knocking and take eighteen endangered animals as payment.” Bill shook his head, gesturing between them. “You just need to keep your heads down and hit the targets. It’s been a good year since we got those penguins, you shouldn’t have any trouble.”

Eve frowns, knowing damn well Bill didn't believe that shit. Just the other week she had been ranting about the weird bad reviews for the lorikeets and Bill had all but approved of her slightly shady suggestion they have someone look into it. Speaking of…

“Bear got back to me.” Eve says, crossing her arms and leaning up against one of the counters. 

Bill sighs at the same time as Elena claps excitedly. He gives her a long and tired look. 

“What? Oh come on, we all know Eve’s conspiracy theory and honestly I’m like 80% of the way to believing her. Plus she knows a guy who can hack into data so that’s cool and exciting. Give a girl a break.” Elena sticks her tongue out at him, her focus now totally on Eve.

Bill grumbles under his breath about not encouraging her, but waves a hand for Eve to tell the room what she discovered. 

“The four worst reviews all had the same IP address, which means they came from the same place. The two the week after were from a different address but Bear ran the comments through some kind of algorithm and he said they were probably written by the same person.” Eve tells them.   
Kenny shook his head. “There’s ways of hiding your IP address, or even randomising it so it looks legit. Seems weird they didn’t do that.”

"The whole thing is sketchy." Eve said. "I'm telling you that if you go on every single facility website that Helene owns you will find the same weird bad reviews and then disappearance of animals. That's just the tip of the iceberg."

Bill shakes his head. "I'll accept that it's… Off. But Eve, you can't keep sticking your nose in without getting noticed. You don't want to become a target."

"So you admit there is targeting going on?" Eve asked with a raise of an eyebrow. 

Bill sensed a lost battle when he saw one, and he held his hands up in defeat. "I'm saying be careful. You can't start throwing this around just anywhere Eve."

Eve snorts, scooping up a bowl of defrosted mice and rats for the carnivorous species of birds. As much as she wanted to keep investigating what the hell was going on in this zoo, to do that she still needed her job, so she did actually have to do said job.

“I’m serious. After today you’ll be on your own and if you say the wrong thing that’s it.” Bill said, in a last effort to dissuade her from keeping up her digging. 

He should know better. Now she had that little bit of confirmation, that one tiny lead, she wouldn’t be able to leave it alone. 

“Uh huh. I’ll make my case water tight before I bring it anywhere Bill, I’m not that stupid.” Eve grumbled. 

She started to head out, her thoughts drifting to how she could uncover what was happening here when Bill spoke again. 

“Konstantin wants to see you before you feed those off.” Bill said, nodding to the bowl in her hands. “He’s-”

“-in the reptile room.”

“-in the reptile room.”

Bill and Eve stared at one another for a moment, and then Bill laughed. 

“Dick. Go speak to him, and don’t annoy him please. He’s got the new girl with him so be nice.” 

Eve groaned, sticking a lid over the top of the bowl. She knew from experience that when kids ram into your legs running across the paths their parents did not enjoy finding out it was rat juice all over their new anorak. 

Leaving the bird feeding station, Eve started the short walk across the zoo to get to the staff only reptile room around the back of the large warehouse that held most of the snakes and lizards in the zoo. There was an extension off of the warehouse, the opaque glass concealing multiple species of crocodilians and alligators. The place was impressive, and if it wasn’t for the fact that Eve knew that the money that had been pumped into it was crawling with corruption it would be one of her favourite places in the zoo. 

Instead, when she walks around the edge of the warehouse she makes a face at all the generators regulating the temperature and rolls her eyes at the overly fancy shed that housed the rat colony. Even the shed was cool. Eve thought to the birds staff area and considered their fridge you had to slam shut three times just to keep the door closed. The distribution of money through the park was so skewed Eve was surprised no-one on the outside had noticed. 

Unless they were on Helene’s payroll too. Bill did say she had her fingers in many pies. 

Shaking her head, Eve skirted around the rat shed and came to the double doors of the staff reptile room. It looked like an office in itself, and Eve didn’t bother knocking as she pushed her way through into the room. 

Like the rest of the reptile section, the staff room was lavish and well designed. Their opening area held a few stylish tables and chairs for staff as well as a comfortable looking sofa (plus a flat screen TV and she was sure that was a PlayStation). There was a glass wall across the middle of the room that separated the lounge area with the work area. That half of the room held multiple cages, a rack of equipment, feeding schedules, keys, enrichment items stacked up on shelves. Anything you could think of a zoo team needing? It was in this room. 

Eve had heard a few floating keepers say that the room was mainly filled with what was known as hot snakes. Hot snakes were venomous reptiles that had every capability of landing a bite that could and would kill you. Konstantin always told everyone they weren’t his snakes, but they weren’t a part of the zoo collection so Eve had always wondered who they belonged to. She didn’t think Helene was the type to keep pets of any kind, and Carolyn wasn’t too bothered by reptiles. 

It was a question Eve fully intended to ask, but as she pushed through the second door and into the staff lounge area she froze the moment she looked up. 

Through the glass wall she could see two people, and one absolutely gigantic snake. She couldn’t see what type of snake it was, but she noticed Konstantin keeping well back as the person handling it allowed it to slip into one of the larger cages on the walls, using the hook to slide the cage door shut. 

It was the woman from the aviary. 

She had shed the jacket, the bright blue colour shining discarded on the floor in the corner, instead she had a sleeveless white t shirt on, and Eve couldn’t quite stop staring at the defined muscle of her arms as she went to high five Konstantin. 

He clearly didn’t have the same enthusiasm. Eve couldn’t hear what he was saying, but it sounded deep with disapproval.

The woman rolled her eyes, and used her raised hand to slap his forehead instead. 

As she laughed she turned, and met Eve’s gaze. 

“Eve!” Konstantin’s booming voice travelled through the glass door, and then he pulled it open to beckon her inside. 

“Uh, hi.” Eve said slowly, still staring at the woman. 

Konstantin either didn’t notice, or didn’t care. “I wanted you to meet Villanelle, seeing as the bird house is so close she might need a little help finding things. You know how it is in a new place.”

The woman, Villanelle, steps forwards and grins. “Hi Eve.”

Her voice was noticeably different, with the same accent as Konstantin and nothing like the british lilt she had used in the aviary. It suited her much better.

“Yeah. Sure. Um. Weren’t you-” 

Eve is cut off quickly, and Villanelle has the audacity to wink at her. “It is my first day here and it’s very nice. Konstantin has told me for years to come work in the reptile house. Perhaps if you had led with ‘there is a lovely asian woman with amazing hair working next door’ I would have accepted quicker.”

Eve still has her mouth open and she can’t close it fast enough for Konstantin not to notice. 

He laughs, patting Eve’s back. “Yes yes, you will get used to Villanelle. She is a nightmare.”

“Rude.” Villanelle growls, but Eve can see there’s affection in their banter, they’ve clearly known each-other a while. 

“Um. Where did you work before?” Eve asks, before she asks anything non work related. 

Villanelle shrugs, taking a step closer to casually take the bowl of rats from Eve’s hands. She pops it open and inspects the defrosted rodents. “Mhm, here and there. I was in Russia for a time, and then Paris, very nice city, and then Barcelona. None have a collection of cold blooded creatures quite like number twelve though, eh Konstantin?”

Konstantin’s friendly demeanor vanishes in a moment, and he glares at Villanelle. “Don’t be naughty.”

Villanelle puts on the most innocent expression, and if Eve hadn’t seen the whole exchange she would have ruled her not guilty in a court of law. 

“We don’t want to keep you Eve, I am heading back to the office if you are ready?” Konstantin said, gesturing towards the door. 

Villanelle pipes up quickly. “Unless Eve would like to see my collection I am moving in.”

Eve freezes, caught between the two russians. She desperately wanted to stay, but she could also ask Konstantin some questions before he got too wrapped up in the battle between Helene and Carolyn.

She glances between them both, then Villanelle arches one perfect eyebrow and her decision is made. 

“I have always wondered what you keep in here.” Eve says slowly, offering a mouthed apology to Konstantin as she turns to look at him. 

He just sighs, waving a dismissive hand. “Fine, fine. But remember she does not have the training Villanelle. Do not get out any more with Eve in here.”

No-one in the room felt the need to address that his instruction was most definitely going to be ignored. 

He left without another word, slipping through the doors until it was just Eve and Villanelle and a shit load of snakes. 

“So are you going to explain what earlier was about?” Eve asks, reaching to try and take back her bowl of rats. 

Villanelle instantly moves it out of reach, a sly smile creeping across her face. “I wanted to meet you before Konstantin tainted your opinion of me.”

“So you thought the best way to do that would be to pose as an english visitor in a staff only section and make a weirdly cryptid comment about watching what was in front of me?” Eve asks, glaring at the bowl just out of reach. 

Villanelle shrugged. “Did you not think it was sexy?”

Eve feels like she stares at her for a full minute before answering. “No?”

“Mhm, I don’t believe you.” Villanelle says, turning away to move to the equipment rack. She picks up a pair of long tongs, and then plucks a rat from the bowl still in her hands. 

Eve knows exactly what is about to happen and yet she doesn’t make that much effort to stop it. “Those are my rats.”

“Would you like to fight the bushmaster for them?” Villanelle asks, gesturing with the rat now on the end of the tongs towards one of the cages. 

Eve sighed, peering at the cage to see if she could see what was in there. “I assume that it could drop me with one bite so not really.” 

There’s a huff of laughter from the other woman, and she gestures for Eve to come closer. They both keep an arms length away from the cage as Villanelle slides one door open, leaving a wet smear against the glass with the rat. 

“Yes, he could. It would involve extreme pain around the bite area, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, excess sweating…” Villanelle said, waving the rat in front of one of the hides. 

Eve tries to make herself seem bored. “Sounds like the bushmaster would have the same effect on me as one of Frank’s meetings.”

A genuine snigger comes from Villanelle, and her face is scrunched up as she tries to stop herself laughing. 

It filled Eve with a strong desire to make her laugh again, and all annoyance at having her rats stolen evaporated. A small smile graced her own face, and Villanelle seemed to relax further. 

"I won't let him bite you Eve." Villanelle assured her. 

Eve hummed, peering into the enclosure as Villanelle continued to wave the rat around. Just as she was about to suggest the snake wasn't hungry, it struck. It was so fast Eve almost missed it, flying out and seizing the rat from the tongs. He disappeared just as fast, dragging his food into the darkness of his cave. 

"Jesus." Eve breathed out. 

Villanelle shook her head as she closed the cage back up. "No, his name is Georgio." 

"Armani?" Eve asked with a laugh. 

She didn't expect Villanelle to point to the cage beneath him. "This one is."

"Wow. Are they yours?" Eve finds it hard to believe anyone she knows to work here would name their venomous snakes Georgio and Armani. 

But the thought brings a frown to Eve's face. If Villanelle says these are her snakes, they have been here for years, steadily increasing in number. Which could mean that Villanelle is involved in the repeated grants the reptile House kept receiving. 

"Yes, most of them. A few were Konstantin's but he's never had the passion I have so he kept gifting them to me until he didn't have any left. His favourite animal is a bear for some reason." Villanelle answered, selecting a new rodent from the bowl and moving to another cage. 

Eve's frown deepens. Not just because more of her rats were being stolen. She stayed silent as Villanelle explained what snake she was feeding now and the horrible way it would kill her. 

Villanelle stares at her, tongs now empty and that relaxed smile slowly disappearing as Eve kept quiet. 

“What’s wrong?” She asks.

Eve answered quickly. “What did you mean by the twelve?”

Something glints in Villanelle’s gaze, but it’s gone too quickly for Eve to identify it. She turns, handing the bowl of rodents back to Eve with a carefully neutral expression.

“What do you think it means, Eve?” Villanelle asks her, watching her every move. 

Eve has her theory, but Bill’s warning sits heavy on her chest. She has no idea how deep this goes, or any evidence to claw her way out of a corner she’s backed into. Villanelle could know far more than Eve, and she had to tread carefully. 

So she plays stupid, shrugging a shoulder. “I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking.”

The grin Villanelle gives her in return is devoid of any warmth. “Don’t be boring.”

Eve stares into dark eyes, her tongue between her teeth as she weighs up her options. She had never been a patient person, and she thought too loudly to keep her theories to herself. 

“The twelve must be zoos that Helene owns.” Eve says carefully. It’s not a difficult assumption to make. She knew Helene had multiple facilities, but she hadn’t known for sure they were all zoos.

There’s that spark again in Villanelle’s eyes. “Very clever.”

It’s a struggle not to pour out her theories to this intriguing woman she’s just met. Eve doesn’t know which end Villanelle stands on, if she actually knows anything, if she’s just playing along. There are far too many unknowns, and as much as Eve would love to throw caution to the wind, she doesn’t want to wind up losing her job. 

“You have worked for more than one?” The question she eventually asks isn’t all that exciting, but it might give her more of an idea of how deep Villanelle was involved. 

Villanelle hums, leaning back against one stack of cages. A cobra flies at the glass, the dull thunk of the reptile smacking into it echoing around the room and making Eve flinch. Villanelle just smiled, not reacting. 

“I have worked at five.” Villanelle tells her, shoving her hands into her pockets. Eve isn’t entirely sure how because they look so ridiculously tight. And they went on for miles. Not that Eve was staring at her legs. “As in five separate zoos. This one is the biggest, and has the highest number of reptiles as I said, which is why I’ve been working my way up to work here. Konstantin offered me a few jobs before but never in with the reptiles. He knows they are my favourite. Helene is very specific with who can work in this area.”

“Why’s that?” Eve asks, unsure if Villanelle will give her a true answer or not. 

She gets a shrug in return. “I don’t know. Maybe reptiles are her favourite too and she wants only the best.” 

There’s more to it than that, Eve just knows it. 

Her phone starts to vibrate in her pocket, and Eve is torn from her thoughts to look at the flurry of text messages that are coming through. 

[Elena: Hate to be a bore but where the fuck are you??]  
[Elena: Seriously I just walked past the bald eagles and one of them tried to genuinely eat me.]  
[Elena: I’m not doing the talk again today absolutely not.]   
[Elena: Eve. Text me back]  
[Elena: Eve.]  
[Elena: Eve.]  
[Elena: Eveeeeeee]

[INCOMING CALL - ELENA]

“Sorry, I’ve got to get this.” Eve said, holding her phone up to show Villanelle. 

Villanelle pouts, and heaves a sad sigh. “Maybe you can come visit me another time. Or I’ll come and see you again.”

“So long as it’s not with a shit British accent I’m okay with that.” It wasn’t a shit accent, but Eve most definitely liked Villanelle’s rougher Russian accent. 

Villenalle’s protest is ignored as she turns away, answering Elena’s call just as it was about to go through to voicemail. 

“I’m coming, sorry!” Eve says as she rushes back out of the reptile house, speed walking back towards the Aviary. She could feel Villanelle watching her, and somehow she resisted looking back.

Elena’s voice is just shy of being genuinely annoyed. “Please tell me you aren’t going to do this all the time now you’re in charge. These are your bloody schedules.” 

“No, I won't, I swear. I’ll be there in five seconds.” 

Elena huffs. “Good.” Then she hangs up.

Eve can just about hold in the new theories flying around her mind. She gets across the short walk to the aviary staff house in record time, and almost barrels Elena over as she bursts through the door. 

“I think Konstantin and Villanelle are closer to the weird shit happening than first thought.” Eve spits out the second she can. 

“Hi Elena, sorry for disappearing and not feeding the animals on my schedule and then almost flattening you with the door. That’s okay, Eve, what the hell are you on about?” It’s almost passive aggressive enough that Eve feels mildly bad, but not quite. 

Instead she just pauses for half a second to give Elena a disapproving look and then promptly launches back into it. 

"So I met Villanelle, but I met her earlier in with the lorikeets, and she told me there are twelve zoos that Helene has control over." Eve starts, dumping the bowl of rats on the closest counter. 

Elena holds a hand up. "Woah wait a second, you already met her?" 

Eve nods, gesturing wildly. "Yeah but that's not that important. She was pretending to be a visitor. Villanelle told me that those snakes in the reptile house are all hers, so that means she's been involved with the franchise for years right?" 

"Riiiiight." Elena agrees slowly. 

"She said this zoo was number twelve, and that this zoo has the best reptiles. She's been working her way up to get to here. It seemed to me like she knew Konstantin well too, so maybe something happened to make sure he moved off the reptiles so she could move in?" Eve spoke as she thought, wondering briefly if it would be mad to start up a pin board to compile her theories. "Doesn't matter, but I think she could be a key part in finding out what the hell is going on with these disappearances"

"Or she knows nothing and just really likes snakes." Elena says, unhelpfully. 

Eve presses a hand to her forehead. "Thank you for that, really adds to this."

"You need to consider it. Bill said they could string you up super easy so I think you need to stop theorising so much and actually come out with some evidence that something is going on." Elena shrugs, picking up the bowl Eve had abandoned. "I'm not saying you aren't on to something, but I think if you keep throwing off the schedule something is going to slip."

Eve knew she was right, but it was hard to resist the temptation to throw her theories around wildly. It was exciting, and she liked being on to something she wasn’t supposed to know. The power trip was becoming addictive and Eve was hungry for more. 

“Alright, we’ll run a tight ship and see what happens. I’m going to keep an eye on her though.” Eve tells Elena. 

Elena nodded. “Sure, sure. Kenny said she was smoking hot so I don’t blame you.”

“Wait, he said what?” Eve almost growled. Almost. 

The smirk that appears on Elena’s face is not something Eve wanted to encourage. “Oh yeah, he saw her and Konstantin walk past just before Bill sent you over. Is she hot?”

“Well, I mean, she’s pretty yeah. Russian. Tall, blonde, interesting.” Eve says, trying not to get too descriptive with how ridiculously attractive Villanelle actually was. She’s not sure she could deal with Elena’s relentless teasing if she found out. 

It’s clear from the excited squeal that comes from Elena that toning it down had absolutely not worked. “Just your type! 

“That’s not why we’re keeping an eye on her Elena. I think if we watch her enough we’ll find out she’s involved.” 

Elena just grinned, and wiggled her eyebrows. “Whatever you say boss, but Bill gave me her number to add her to the zoo group whatsapp so you can absolutely chat her up.”

Eve let out the longest sigh she could and tried to pretend she was very annoyed about this fact. 

She wasn’t really fooling anyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this chapter! I'm making this fucker up as I go and I keep skipping ahead and writing the fun parts forgetting where this vague plot is going lol
> 
> mistakes are probably rampant but here we are 
> 
> come talk to me on twitter or tumblr if you have thoughts! @loveavillain


	3. nightmares come and the darkness kills the day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Villanelle settles into her role and makes sure she leaves an impression. Then Konstantin causes her problems.

It was far too early to be receiving calls, and Villanelle almost ignored the insistent vibrating of her phone on the table. The most likely culprit would be Konstantin, and she wasn’t prepared to have a conversation about something stupid right now. 

No, she would concentrate on pulling all the bedding out of her King Brown enclosure and cleaning the glass for the third time this week because he kept shitting up it. Usually she might leave it a few days, but ever since her first day here and Eve’s visit she had been conscious of the fact she needed to keep the staff outhouse as clean as possible in case she came back. 

Impressing people with her skills as a keeper came naturally to Villanelle, but there was something different about Eve. She wanted Eve to like her. 

The phone vibrated again, and Villanelle groaned out loud to the empty room. She straightened from where she had been crouched on the floor, wiping her hand on her trousers and snatching up the phone. 

Oh. Not Konstantin.

**[Zoo Hooligans - latest message received at 06:14AM]**

**06:01AM Elena** added **Villanelle**

 ** _06:01 AM Elena_** \- Hi guys, just added V(Few days late but still)! She’s the new head of reptiles, I’ve also heard she’s very beautiful so don’t be alarmed if you see a goddess wandering the zoo.

 ** _06:01AM Bill_** \- Not entirely appropriate but hi Villanelle. 

**_06:02AM Hugo_** \- Hey to the sexy snake lady. I’m a rotating keeper so I’ll definitely see you soon ;) 

**_06:03AM Elena_** \- Unless Eve kills you first, you’re scheduled with us until the weekend. 

**_06:04AM Hugo_** \- A man can multi-task. 

**_06:07AM Kenny_** \- Hi Villanelle, sorry about Hugo.

 ** _06:07AM Hugo_** \- Rude, she might like me. 

**_06:10AM Gemma_** \- I doubt that. 

**_06:11AM Elena_** \- You’re so lucky we only have Bill in here, higher management would eat you alive Hugo. 

**_06:14AM Hugo_** \- Haha, isn’t Konstantin still in here? 

**Elena** removed **Konstantin**

Villanelle snorted at the last message, taking a screenshot and sending it to Konstantin privately with a laughing face emoji. Group chats in her experience had only caused issues, so she usually kept out of getting involved, but she did enjoy reading the drama. It was unlikely she would send anything outside of actual work discussions, but then another text came through. 

**[Zoo Hooligans - latest message received at 06:27AM]**

**_06:27AM Eve_** \- Hugo can you please make sure you give Max his tablets separate from the other penguins? 

A few messages wouldn’t hurt.

 ** _06:27AM Villanelle_** \- Hi Eve.  
**_06:27AM Villanelle_** \- Thanks for the add Elena, I am very beautiful. It is a pleasure to be working with you all. 

**_06:28AM Hugo_** \- Don’t I get a personal greeting? 

**_06:28AM Villanelle_** \- Who are you?

 ** _06:29AM Hugo_** \- An irresistible rotating keeper.

 ** _06:30AM Villanelle_** \- Oh, so you don’t have a specific skill set? 

**_06:31AM Elena_** \- LOL

Villanelle smirked as Elena’s text came through, glad to be getting on her good side. It was different here. Villanelle had worked so hard to be offered this job she was determined to make sure everyone at least got on with her. 

Her last zoo hadn’t really ended well on the social side of things. Rhian had taken an unfortunate tumble into the lion's den (both figuratively and literally.) Before that in Paris, Anna had enjoyed Villanelle’s company but not her work, and before that Villanelle had broken a perfectly good friendship with Nadia by muddying the waters with sex that meant nothing to her and everything to Nadia. 

She didn’t have a good track record. 

In truth, Villanelle just struggled with people sometimes. Reptiles were easy to understand, simple prehistoric creatures with instincts and desires that could be easily fed. Humans not so much. 

Her phone vibrated again, and Villanelle was surprised to see a direct message. 

**[Eve - latest message received at 06:48AM]**

**_Eve_** \- Hi

Her attention was quickly diverted from the group chat and the cleaning she had to do. 

**_Villanelle_** \- Hi x

 ** _Eve -_** Are you in work already? 

**_Villanelle_** \- I always get here early. I have many animals outside of the zoo collection, and I’m the only one who can handle them x  
**_Villanelle_** \- Are you here? x

 ** _Eve_** \- Maybe

 ** _Villanelle_** \- Want to come see me? x

 ** _Eve_** \- I can’t, busy day. 

**_Villanelle_** \- That’s a shame, maybe tomorrow? x

It’s difficult to swallow her disappointment. With how quickly Eve responded to her texts, Villanelle thought she might be tempted to spend some time with her. Villanelle wanted her to, and she wasn’t used to not getting what she wanted eventually. 

The next text came through a little later, but it left a smile on Villanelle’s face. 

**_Eve_** \- Maybe tomorrow x

 ** _Villanelle_** \- Perhaps if you have a spare moment you could come to a show today? Mine is on at 11 with the saltwater crocodiles. I’ll make it worth your while x

She didn’t expect a text back, but the lack of a refusal filled her with excitement. 

The viewing area for the crocodile feedings was a sight to behold. The whole platform had been built with the sole purpose of allowing their big crocodiles and alligators to swim into a central pool with crystal clear water. The water was deep enough for the big animals to get a good jump out, and so there was a tiered platform that took centre stage. 

It was out here that Villanelle thrived. There had been similar setups in a few other locations, and honestly put her in front of a crowd and Villanelle could play them exactly how she wanted. Today she knew it was going to be busy. They only did these big feeds once a month and she knew the saltwater crocodiles were always firm favourites. 

The place was packed out as Jess spoke out on the tannoy, informing the humming crowd of which crocodiles were being fed, their health and safety rules, all the boring stuff. 

Villanelle was focused on scanning the crowd, her sharp gaze searching for that amazing hair she had already committed to memory. 

She couldn’t spot Eve, and her excitement for the show was quickly seeping away. It wasn’t something that was common, and her stomach flipped with the uncomfortable feeling. 

“Please welcome, Villanelle!”

Jess’ tinny voice shouted over the speakers, and the crowd began to cheer. Villanelle looked out one more time, and then sighed, putting on a smile and emerging to begin the climb up to the first platform with her bag of meat. 

The first platform was never the most exciting. They usually fed the females from the lowest platform as they were smaller than the big males. Each crocodile was moved in and out of the centre pool through a network of water pipes, and they had been conditioned to know what sounds and signals to respond to. People never believed her that reptiles could be trained, and while crocodiles only had small brains they were still clever. 

Villanelle fed each female without a hitch, letting Jess talk to the crowd as she held out a leg or a head, or just a chunk of meat from various prey animals. She did have a mic on, so she could take control whenever she wanted, but without Eve in the crowd Villanelle didn’t see the point. 

She should. Usually she would relish the chance to show off properly for the first time, and that empty feeling of nothingness wasn’t something she had felt for a long long time. 

When all the females had been fed, Jess announced the main attraction, Brutus. 

Brutus was an eighteen foot long saltwater crocodile. He was impressive, athletic, and he hated people. He would always explode out of the water, Villanelle had seen videos of him and she had been looking forward to feeding him for the first time, but now she just felt… nothing. 

She had been planning a really excellent show that not even Jess was aware of, but as she was prepping Villanelle wasn’t sure if she would bother. But then, everyone would hear about it sooner rather than later, perhaps that would draw Eve in to the next show 

Picking up everything she needed, Villanelle made her preparations before she emerged back out onto the platform, going up to the highest level this time around. 

Excitement hummed through the crowd, and Villanelle scanned it one last time as Brutus started his approach in the water. 

Eve stared back at her. 

It felt like something had flicked a switch, and all the anticipation, the danger, the excitement, the performance, it all hit her at once. Her breathing accelerated, and she fixed the chunk of pig in place. 

If this didn’t stick in Eve’s mind then Villanelle didn’t know what would. 

Her focus switches back to Brutus. She had done this kind of trick before, but she had never done it with Brutus so if she didn’t want to get herself killed she needed to pay attention to every little movement. 

She watched as he approached, slow in the water. He didn’t know the water was crystal clear and she could see him, so he moves like he’s a floating piece of wood. He barely makes a ripple, and Villanelle takes a second to admire the strength in this apex predator. 

When he gets into range, he disappears below the surface of the water, and Villanelle carefully checks the position of the pig. It’s kind of uncomfortable to hold it like this, but it would be worth it. Jess explains what’s happening over the tannoy, and Villanelle can’t wait to hear her panic when Brutus takes his prize. 

The giant crocodile twitches, and Villanelle can see him building. 

Taking the last second she can, Villanelle looks up at Eve, finding her dark gaze staring back at her. She winks, hoping Eve can see from how far away she was. 

Brutus explodes from the water, using his thick tail to propel himself up and out, jaws gaping wide as he makes a grab for the pig. 

Villanelle watches with a racing heart as she feels the spray of the water against her face, feels the air whoosh around her as he surges forwards, feels the tug against her arm.

The tug gets worse, and it’s at this point as Brutus starts to fall back towards the water that everyone realises it’s not just the pig meat that Brutus has his teeth in. 

Villanelle’s hand has disappeared into his jaws, stark white teeth have sunk into the black of her jacket, and then he’s falling, and he’s taking her arm with him. 

The crowd goes absolutely wild, and Jess is silent on the tannoy as Brutus smacks back against the water. Panic is bubbling beneath the surface, and Villanelle stands there, with one arm, and searches for Eve. 

Eve is staring at her in horror, one hand pressed over her mouth to cover her scream and the other pressed against her chest. 

Villanelle grins, and she rolls her shoulder, popping out her still attached arm through the hole Brutus had apparently torn. She gives Eve a wave, and her grin only widens as Eve’s expression shifts from horror, to relief, to anger. 

The crowd is still going absolutely crazy, and Jess is stumbling over her words to reassure everyone that Villanelle still has her arm and it wasn’t real. Villanelle barely pays attention, her gaze still watching Eve across the water. 

She keeps watching until Eve leaves, and her phone buzzes in her pocket the second she does. 

**_Eve_** \- Asshole.

 ** _Villanelle_** \- Told you I’d put on a show ;) x

It’s a few days later that it happens. 

The postcard is sitting on her desk when she comes in, innocent and unassuming. It’s face down, so she doesn’t know what the picture is of, but she doesn’t care to know. 

Her rage is hot and fast, and she tries to call Konstantin only to get his voicemail. 

Not that that will stop her expressing how angry she is.

“Konstantin you piece of shit, what the Блядь!” She snarled, slipping into Russian as she spat down the phone. “Come to me as soon as you get this so I can throw a viper at you, you promised. You promised I wouldn’t have to do this shit anymore!” 

Villanelle hangs up, tossing her phone to sit beside the postcard that is inanimate but feels so loud that it hurts. 

Konstantin had promised her that she was done with this. She wasn’t involved anymore, she was just the head of reptiles, nothing more nothing less. She had worked so hard to get here, done all the shit jobs around the zoos and outside the zoos. Clean up, pick up, trades, executions, theft. You name it, she’d done it. She hadn’t minded at the time, it had been fine, something to pass the time and build up her funds. She bought the things she wanted, lived where she wanted, had fun when she’d wanted, but after her last visit back home something had changed. Villanelle hadn’t wanted to do it any more, she’d wanted to be normal. 

The postcard just gets louder, and Villanelle can feel her heartbeat in her ears. 

Reaching with a shaking hand, she flips the postcard. 

It’s a picture of the lorikeets. 

The front door of the reptile outhouse bangs closed, and Konstantin emerges. 

“That wasn’t a very nice message to come to work with.” He says, standing a strategically safe distance away in case she did decide to throw something at him.

Villanelle launches the postcard at him, enjoying the way the corner clips him on the cheek before flying away somewhere in the room. 

“Ow!”

“You said I didn’t have to work like that anymore.” Villanelle growled, standing beside her desk with her hands balled into fists, nails digging into the softness of her palm.

Konstantin sighs. “I know, I know, but Helene-”

“I don’t care! No buts! You promised.” Villanelle interrupted, ignoring the tightness of her throat. 

Kosntantin holds his hands up. “I know. Villanelle, it’s not what you think.”

She scoffs. What else would it be? She’d received hundreds of postcards in different zoos and they all meant the same thing. Helene wanted that animal gone. The ways sometimes changed, but the outcome was always the same. Villanelle had been part of it all. She had sabotaged enclosures to cause the carnage Helene needed to take an animal, she had captured animals Helene had buyers for, and she had slaughtered animals Helene needed killed. 

“It’s not! We just need you to keep an eye on Eve Polastri.” Konstantin says.

Villanelle stops, the sharp pain in her palms easing as her fingers unclench. “What?”

Konstantin smiles reassuringly. “We know you don’t want to kill anymore, and that’s okay. But we still need your skills. You don’t think Helene trained you up to this level to just not utilise you at all?”

“That isn’t what you told me.” Villanelle says, her voice quiet. “Why does she want to know about Eve?”

Konstantin shrugged. “She just wants you to keep an eye on her at the moment.”

Villanelle didn’t like the sound of that.

Eve was the only interesting person here, and the only person who seemed to realise there was something going on. Everyone else just trudged along, like the grizzly bear that Konstantin was so fond of. Backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards, oblivious to the enrichment that lay just out of their line of sight. 

Not Eve. Eve knew there was something going on, hadn’t trusted her when she had scoped out the aviary on her first day and had been more present in the enclosures than Villanelle had been led to believe. 

She knew what would come too. Konstantin thought she was stupid, but Villanelle knew this was just the first step. She would be asked to watch Eve, then get close to her, then wait until her guard was down and sabotage the Aviary. Then Helene could get rid of the whole section of the zoo. Maybe she had someone who wanted to have exotic birds in their greenhouse willing to spend a ridiculous amount of money to get them, maybe she just really didn’t like birds. It didn’t matter. 

Konstantin had always told her that Twelve had the least amount of underground dealings. This was the top zoo, the one with the biggest centre stage and the highest number of eyes on it. It wasn’t the zoo used to cover up murders, or orchestrate high stake deals that could end up with someone getting fed to a hippo. It was respected, calm, as normal as Helene’s zoos could be. 

“Come on, Villanelle.” Konstantin says carefully. “You know you’re the best. Helene said this would be only for someone skilled, and I can’t give a job like that to just anyone can I?”

It’s bait and she knows it. Konstantin knows she likes being told she’s good at something, and she hates him for it. 

Her silence stretches. 

“Villanelle. Please. For me? You don’t even really have to do anything, just tell me if Eve says anything… suspicious.” Konstantin says, inching closer and closer until he puts one comforting hand on her shoulder. “I’ll get that anaconda you wanted if you are good.”

It still doesn’t sit well with her, spying on Eve. Not for those reasons anyway. She wanted to get to know Eve because Eve was interesting, not because Helene told her to. But her options were limited. She was still new to this zoo, she couldn’t dig her heels in if Helene decided to forcibly remove her for the refusal. 

Maybe she could play the field. Find out what Eve knew and if she was what Villanelle hoped she could be then she could help her. If she wasn’t, well. At least she would have a new anaconda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this one! I think this is going to be the only Villanelle POV, but you can look forward to Eve making her move next chapter. Let's get gay.
> 
> Also got a spotify playlist if you'd like to listen to that! 
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/00SaTBtJU13xJ2sZ1B4klk?si=5QLc6f7BS4C_-oVix9oKjA


	4. baby i'm howlin' for you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eve gets conflicting advice, and then meets Kevin the King Cobra.

“So how much sexting have you and Villanelle done since you got her number?” Elena asked, pushing Eve’s coffee across the table to her in the café. 

Eve rolls her eyes but gratefully takes a sip of her coffee. No sugar, dry cappuccino. How coffee was meant to be made. “We haven’t been texting.”

Elena snorts, taking a sip of her latte that Eve knows for sure has at least three pumps of syrup added to it. “That’s bullshit, you think you’re slick hiding your phone but you really aren’t.” 

“How do you know it’s Villanelle I’m texting?” Eve fires back, and quickly realises her mistake when Elena’s eyes light up. 

“Ah ha! You are texting!” Elena grinned, immediately pulling her phone out. 

Eve is tired already and they’d only sat down five seconds ago. This was supposed to be her day off from work related topics. “Elena what are you doing?”

She gets no response for a moment, and is then offered a smug smile. “Just telling Kenny he owes me a tenner.”

“Wow.” 

Elena smirks, and then taps the table. “So come on. When did it start?”

Eve sighed. She honestly hadn’t been texting Villanelle that much. Villanelle texted her a lot, but she didn’t reply all the time. It wasn’t even that interesting, just general chit chat about work. 

“I called her an asshole after that stunt with the crocodiles.” Eve said.

Elena’s eyes lit up. “Oh shit yeah I forgot you saw that first hand. Jess was a mess.”

“It was ridiculous to do that without telling anyone.” Eve said.

Elena nodded slowly. “Oh yeah, of course. No emergency team, no health and safety check, no brief.” 

There’s a short pause. 

“Was it hot though?” Elena asked.

“So hot.” Eve agreed as quickly as she physically could. “She was so fucking sure of herself, and I was horrified but then she winked at me and I had to remember to be angry.”

Elena almost choked on her coffee. “Wait, wait, she winked at you?”

“Really not that scandalous Elena.” Eve said, trying to downplay just how much it had affected her. 

She hadn’t even intended to go to the show. She’d seen the crocodiles get fed before, and straying from her department was probably a bad idea but she hadn’t been able to resist the urge to see how Villanelle would do it. Of course she hadn’t been disappointed, but Eve was still sure Villanelle knew more than what she let on when it came to the zoo. She didn’t want to let herself like her when she needed to keep an eye on her. Not in the fun way either. It wasn’t really going to plan because Eve definitely was dangerously close to liking Villanelle and she was absolutely watching her for more than just conspiracy theory intel. 

“Anyway, we were here to talk about you and Kenny.” Eve said, trying to steer the conversation away from Villanelle. 

Elena was not having it. “Absolutely not, I want to talk about the hot blonde Russian lady that clearly has a thing for you.” 

“She does not!” 

Elena took a deep breath, and folded her hands over the table. Eve knew that look on her face. 

“Elena. No.”

“I’m just thinking, she might be good for you after Niko!” Elena suggested. 

Eve had tried not to think about it. Villanelle was definitely everything Niko wasn’t, and she could tell that despite only having brief interactions with the woman. But it was a bad idea. Very bad. 

Elena nods. “Honestly. Even if you don’t work as a couple, she would absolutely be an amazing lay. Just by the way she walks that is big di-”

“Do not finish that sentence.” Eve interrupts. “You have been spending way too much time with Hugo, Jesus Christ.”

The grin on her face doesn’t diminish despite the scowl on Eve’s. “Still, point stands. You need some fun. Especially with being head of birds now and having the higher ups watching you.”

“Yeah thanks for that reminder.” Eve grumbled. “I just know Helené is going to try something. Which is why I don’t have the time to be messing around with Villanelle. I still think she’s involved.”

Elena shrugged, “Maybe, maybe not. Surely you’d find out faster the more time you spent with her? Just a thought.”

Eve considers it. 

And considers it. 

And considers it. 

Bill appears one day at lunch, and Eve beams at him as soon as he walks in the door. 

“Hello! Nice to see you haven’t been eaten by Helené yet.” Bill greets her as he slips into the shitty plastic chair opposite her at the lunch table. 

It could barely be called a table actually. You could fit a total of one can of drink and a moderately sized lunch box on it. Maybe some kind of loose fruit too. 

Eve currently had a pot noodle slapped into the middle of it, so they were in no danger of anything getting accidentally pushed to the floor. 

“Wouldn’t you like to see that. No, it’s been going okay actually. Suspiciously no weird activity.” Eve tells him. 

Bill sighs. “Or there was never any weird activity to start with.” 

Eve glared at him, but he just laughed. 

“Anyway, I hear you’re getting on well with Villanelle.” He says casually. 

Eve’s glare develops into a full blown glower. “Who have you been talking to? We’ve barely spoken.”

“Mhm, well Konstantin said Villanelle keeps mentioning you, so whatever you said made an impression.” Bill said carefully. 

Eve watches him, and something uneasy stirs. 

Bill glanced away, and then tapped the table. “Look, I don’t know for sure, but it seems like Konstantin is covering something up. I’ve heard whispers. The fact he’s mentioned how much Villanelle likes you might mean nothing, but be careful.” 

“You can’t just tell me that and not give me anything solid!” Eve growled, leaning over the tiny table and almost sending the noodles to the floor.

Bill kicks her under the table. “Calm down. I’m working on it, just try not to talk to Villanelle too much, okay?” 

It’s the total opposite to what Elena has told her to do, and Eve can only stare at him as the words settle on her chest. She hadn’t exactly followed Elena’s advice yet anyway, but now Bill was telling her to not speak to Villanelle the desire to talk to her was only growing. If Bill was warning her off it meant there was something there.

“I’ve found out the locations of the other zoos.” Bill says, and an envelope appears in his hand. “There’s cases in each of them of animals disappearing. Some of them are quite rare. There’s complaints of weird noises in a number of the locations from the surrounding area too.”

“What like, someone’s been fed to the lions' weird noises?” Eve asks, her voice dropping to a hushed whisper despite the fact there was no-one around to hear them. 

Bill doesn’t respond. 

“Oh holy shit.” Eve breathes out, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice. 

“Keep this to yourself. Kenny and Elena can’t know we’re seriously investigating this. Just play along with them thinking it’s a ridiculous theory” Bill tells her. 

Eve nods. She wanted to get to the bottom of this but if she failed she didn’t want to drag Kenny and Elena down into whatever grim fate she met. “I’ll keep it on the low. Can’t have those two young innocents fed to the lions because Helené is up to her eyeballs in some shady business.”

Bill snorts. “You joke, but I don’t think that’s far from the truth.”

“Why now? You were always so adamant for me to not investigate this.” Eve asks.

Bill is quiet for a moment, and then he looks at her with the most serious expression Eve thinks she’s ever seen. “I think Carolyn is involved too. Maybe not as deep, but she knows Helené is doing something with the animals, and she turns a blind eye. I thought she was… good, you know? The best of the best. Striving for the welfare and conservation of these animals. I can’t turn into that too. I don’t want to look away from horror for the sake of money.” 

Eve nods her agreement, taking hold of the envelope as Bill gets up to leave. 

“Eve?” He says just before reaching the door. “I mean it about Villanelle. Keep your distance.” 

In the weeks that followed, Eve found her determination to not gravitate towards Villanelle slipping away. Every time she tried to dig deeper into her background she was only met with legitimate articles, papers published with sound sources, and reports that only praised her professional abilities. There was absolutely nothing she could use. Nothing to tie her to the disappearances Bill had shown her. 

Yet Eve was still suspicious. 

There was something in the flair of the disappearances that reminded Eve of Villanelle. It struck her as strange too that nothing had happened since her move to head of reptiles. 

But her decision to keep away from Villanelle failed miserably and quickly. Not only had the woman text her relentlessly until she attended one of her talks, Eve had found it ridiculously interesting and entertaining. 

Villanelle knew how to work a crowd. The zoo held different talks throughout the month that cycled around the multiple species they housed, and sometimes they were interactive with the public and other times they were just shows to be watched. Whenever a reptile talk was on it was always filled with people, and they were always captured by Villanelle. 

Eve had snuck in to see most of Villanelle’s shows. 

The first one had just been for curiosity's sake. She had seen her performance with the bloody crocodile so she wanted to see where it was only Villanelle’s show and she hadn’t been disappointed. 

The talk had been on European reptiles and Villanelle had shown off three species, an Italian three-toed skink named Tiny, a Hermann’s tortoise named Poppy, and Eve’s personal favourite of the trio, a Russian Rat Snake named Konstantin that Villanelle had clearly named herself. 

Villanelle had a genuine passion for the animals she was talking about, she was incredibly animated and made it easy for people to understand what she was telling them regardless of age. Her knowledge was vast, and she took questions readily no matter how simple they might seem. 

So Eve had gone to another. 

The second talk she went to was specific to one species, a Burmese python named Kahaan. Midway through explaining how the snake draped across her shoulders was considered an invasive species in Florida Villanelle flicked to a flawless American accent. She engaged the audience beautifully and Eve was fascinated by the way she handled the snake. 

She told herself the third talk would be it, that she wouldn’t creep around the back of the visitors and she would leave Villanelle alone. The third talk was about African lizards, and of course Villanelle exclusively spoke in a south African accent as she displayed and spoke about the different lizards. 

Every time there was a different country, Eve had to go and listen. 

It was quickly morphing into obsession, and Villanelle somehow knew every time Eve had come to see her. She would either text her a selfie with the animal she had done the talk with, or leave her a little note stuck to the door of the aviary for Eve to find in the morning. They had spoken face to face a few times, but never with enough time or privacy to have a proper conversation. Instead, Eve kept up these visits that she tried to tell everyone were to build her case that Villanelle was involved with the Twelve. 

Eve didn’t think she was fooling anyone anymore, least of all herself. 

Especially not when Villanelle left her a note asking her to come to the reptile outhouse after work again, and here Eve was wandering through the zoo in the dark to finally go and see her.

She shouldn't be here and she knows it, especially after talking with Bill. Villanelle was being extra intriguing and doing it on purpose, leaving the doors on the latch after hours, flicking on the big neon danger sign beside the second door, soft music playing in the background. Even if Eve had been debating with herself if she should go in or not, now it was just too tempting not to. 

According to the information Kenny got from Hugo, Villanelle liked free handling some of the animals out back after hours. She was often the last person to leave the zoo, on the grounds that her animals were nocturnal. Technically, she wasn't allowed to handle dangerous animals alone, but apparently the rules didn't apply to Villanelle. 

The lights are all on, and when Eve slips into the room it feels like her heart has leapt out of her chest. 

Villanelle stands at the other end of the room, the glass door in the centre wide open, and she’s leaning backwards and away from the hooded cobra that is towering above her, growling loudly. It's at least fifteen feet long, the body of the snake supported partially by Villanelle's arm and the rest of it trailing along the floor. When she moves her head, the snake moves too, focused entirely on her. 

"Do not come closer, Eve." Villanelle says calmly when Eve reaches the edge of the room, adjusting her grip on the large animal as she manoeuvres into a better position. 

Eve stares at her like she's gone crazy, frozen beside the door. 

Villanelle smiles, but her eyes never leave the head of the cobra. "Beautiful, right? This is Kevin, a Malaysian King Cobra. The venom yield in a bite could take down twenty people, or an elephant. Crazy huh?" 

"Then why do you have it out?" Eve asks in horror, watching as the snake lurches forwards, stopped only by Villanelle's carefully placed fingers pressing into its belly as she leans even further backwards and out of the way. 

The snake gives another growl, and then the hood seems to deflate, the snake turning its attention towards Eve at the door. It moves forwards, slipping through Villanelle's hands to come to her, even more terrifying than when one of the big cats charged the glass. 

The cobra keeps coming, and Villanelle just smiles. 

"Villanelle." Eve hisses, pressing herself as far back as she can go against the glass. The front doors are still unlocked, she could run if she wanted, but Eve can't make herself move. She's too focused on watching pure power run through Villanelle's hands, watching the shimmer of scales in bright eyes. Villanelle isn't even watching the snake approach her now, instead focused entirely on Eve. 

"Are you afraid?" Villanelle asked, watching as Kevin slips ever closer, pulling his head up to investigate Eve. 

His head is the size of her hand, and a low growl comes from him as his hood expands again, eyes fixed on Eve. 

But she's not looking at the cobra, despite it being the immediate danger. Eve is more fascinated by the way Villanelle moves, the way she has complete control over such a dangerous predator. 

Her answer is soft, and she watches as Villanelle carefully keeps the snake from getting within a striking range. 

"No."

Villanelle smiles, and she shifts, pulling Kevin's attention back around and starting to guide him back into his enclosure. 

"You really should be, this snake could kill you so fast." Villanelle says, as if she didn't know the exact time and measurement of how much venom it would take to kill her. 

Eve doesn't move, waiting until the tip of the snake's tail has vanished into the enclosure and the door has been slid shut. 

The room feels too quiet without a snake, and Eve is more on edge now it's just her and Villanelle. Accepting the invite now seems reckless, and Eve tries to take back control. 

"Do you do that a lot?" Eve asks, glancing into a few of the cages. There are more snakes in them now Villanelle has settled into the zoo. Each enclosure is beautifully planned out and well maintained. Eve can’t imagine how much time it takes to keep them all looking this pristine. 

Villanelle shrugged. "Sometimes. I like to do it regularly, it keeps me sharp. It gets boring only handling the non venomous animals with the visitors. Python after python. Milksnakes and hognose. So boring."

"I can't relate. Birds aren't going to kill me." Eve said, glancing at a snake that seemed to be staring right at her through the glass. 

Villanelle snorts. "They are the same. Birds and reptiles. You can't tell me some of the animals you handle wouldn't kill you if they could?"

Eve thinks about Raymond, the absolute arse of a cassowary. 

It's as if Villanelle can read her mind, because she just smiles again, but this time it reaches her eyes. "Exactly. Now imagine they have teeth like a saltwater crocodile."

Now that would be a disaster. 

“That doesn’t make them the same.” Eve says, sticking to her original statement. Really, she knows birds and reptiles are very similar, but she doesn’t want Villanelle to win. 

She looks annoyed for a moment, and Eve wonders if she should have picked her battle in a safer environment. 

“Why do you keep coming to my shows and not talking to me?” Villanelle asks suddenly with a pout. 

The question comes out of the blue, and it’s direct enough to make Eve pause and consider her answer. Keeping Villanelle at arms length would be the best of both worlds right? Following Elena’s advice as well as Bill. She could do that. Probably. 

Eve turns to face Villanelle, and that pout shouldn’t be so cute. She struggled not to stare at her lips. “I’m only there for your talks.” 

Following Bill’s advice was going to be hard. Maybe too hard. 

“I don’t like it when you lie to me, Eve.” Villanelle growled. 

It’s said with the barest hint of aggression, but Eve wants to coax that flame just a bit more. “Who said I’m lying?”

Villanelle moves like a shadow. One second she’s across the room beside the cobra cage and the next, she's barely an inch from Eve’s face, leaning down a little to get as close as she physically can. 

Eve is fairly certain she’s stopped breathing when Villanelle starts to speak again. 

“Do you not like me?” 

She should say no. She should say no, she does not like her, she thinks she’s deep into the corruption of this zoo franchise, and she’s probably out to get her to secure yet another grant for the reptiles. She should tell Villanelle that they weren’t friends, that she didn’t enjoy her shows, that she wanted her to leave her alone. 

“I like you.” Eve says instead. 

Villanelle doesn’t relax, or back off. 

“Then I don’t understand.” Villanelle says, and her hands hover between them, like she wanted to grab hold of Eve’s coat and pull her closer. “Why don’t you talk to me? You text me, and you come to see my shows, but you won’t just talk to me.” 

Eve swallows, and she has to look away from the hurt that swims in Villanelle’s gaze. “I’m talking to you now.” 

She doesn’t expect to see defeat. Villanelle sighs, and her hands drop to her sides as she straightens and takes a step away. Eve almost steps with her. 

“Why did you accept my invite? You’ve refused every other time. Why now?” Villanelle asked, turning her attention back to Kevin who was hooded up at the glass of his enclosure. 

Honesty wanted to tumble out of Eve. Bill’s warning of Villanelle’s involvement was fading rapidly into background noise, all she wanted was to cheer her up. She wanted Villanelle to know she found her interesting, and attractive, and ridiculous, and that she spent every waking moment thinking about her. 

It’s a short battle with her moral obligations. 

“I wanted to see you. You… I think about you all the time. It’s driving me mad.” Eve said suddenly, knowing there was no turning back now. “I think about what you’re doing, where you’re going, who you’re going with. I think about when you’ll next text me, what snake is your favourite, if you have pets at home. I think about if you have a girlfriend, where you live, what your house looks like. I just… I want to know you. I’m done pretending I don’t.” 

Villanelle is still watching Kevin, and it takes her a moment to return her gaze to Eve. It’s barely a few seconds, but it feels like eternity as Villanelle drags her eyes up Eve’s body, and she gives Eve a shy smile that doesn’t quite suit her yet Eve drinks it in. 

“My favourite snake is the flat-nosed pit viper. But my favourite pet snake is my black headed python called Sappho.” Villanelle answers softly. 

It breaks the building tension, and Eve responds with a laugh. “Sappho. Guess that answers the question of `do you like women’.” 

Villanelle smiles again, and then she turns serious, closing the distance between them. This time, her hands don’t hover in the space, they reach forwards and grip onto the front of Eve’s coat, smoothing out some of the creases along the zipline. 

“I think about you too.” Villanelle says quietly. “I’m not… good at people. I tend to be too much, or not enough.” 

Eve nods slowly. “O-kay.”

Villanelle frowns. “I just, I’m not sure if… I mean I want to but-”

Eve won’t let her trip up over her words any longer. It’s partially an impulse, and partially because it’s so adorable Eve might actually combust with how warm her chest felt. She had thrown caution to the wind telling Villanelle what she wanted, and Eve didn’t do things by halves. 

Her lips are soft and yielding when Eve kisses her. 

It’s like everything has narrowed down to the spot that they stand on and the air that they share. Everything else has melted away. Villanelle leans into her touch, and Eve can feel her fingers getting lost in her hair. She makes a soft noise, and they break away for a second to catch their breath, staring at each other before the inevitable. 

Villanelle’s gaze flicks down first, and Eve makes a surprised sound when she’s pushed firmly against the glass wall. 

Villanelle has her pinned carefully, one hand braced against the glass by the side of her head and the other tracing the angle of her cheekbone before getting lost in her hair again. Long fingers scrape against the base of her skull and Eve inhales sharply when Villanelle pushes her thigh between Eve’s legs. 

“Is that your phone in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?” Villanelle’s voice rumbled against Eve’s ear, low and delicious. 

Eve huffs, and retaliates by rolling her hips, pulling Villanelle tighter against her. “Do you use that line on all the women?”

Villanelle laughs, and then her teeth are catching against the skin of Eve’s jaw, and when she kisses Eve it feels like she’s drowning in everything she’d ever wanted. Her heart is pounding against her chest, and the touch of Villanelle’s tongue is enough for a breathy gasp to slip from her lips. 

Eve isn’t sure if it’s because it’s been a while since she kissed anyone, or if Villanelle is just that good. 

It’s probably the latter. 

Her hands have drifted as they kiss, and Eve is pressing both hands against Villanelle’s lower back as she keeps rocking against the firm muscle of her thigh between Eve’s legs. It’s not quite enough and too much all at the same time, and Eve whines her complaint into Villanelle’s mouth. 

She pulls back, her face flushed. 

“Will you come to dinner with me?” Villanelle asked quickly, out of breath and looking just as flustered as Eve feels. 

Eve just stared at her for almost a full minute, her lips still parted. 

“Uh, now?” 

Villanelle nodded. “Yes, Eve. Now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're all still enjoying! Come talk to me about snakes or Villaneve on twitter if ya feel like it xoxoxox

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on twitter or tumblr @loveavillain and talk to me about villaneve or snakes xoxox


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